Renewable energy in Morocco

Morocco embraces renewable energy

Aware that their demand for electricity was growing at 7% a year and that they were dependent on imports for 97% of that energy, Morocco had a vision to promote renewables. A huge solar plant in Morocco is part of this plan.

By 2020 Morocco plans to generate 42% of its energy from renewables, using a combination of solar energy, wind and hydropower. This puts the UK to shame: we aim for 30% renewable energy by the same date.

The world’s largest solar plant in Morocco

As part of this ambitious target, early 2016 saw the completion of Phase 1 of the site destined to become the world’s largest solar plant.

Situated in the desert near Ouarzazate, the Solar PV plant, created using new technology, is scheduled for completion in 2018, and will provide electricity for more than 1 million people. It will cover an area equal to their capital city, Rabat. Most significantly, it will reduce carbon emissions by hundreds of thousands of tonnes.

Mafalda Duarte, the manager of Climate Investment Funds (CIF), which provided some of the project’s funding, said: “It is a very, very significant project in Africa. Morocco is showing real leadership and bringing the cost of the technology down in the process.”

UN Climate Change Conference Morocco 2016

Even more ambitious plans are afoot, and Morocco hopes to use the next UN climate change conference, which it hosted in November 2016, as the springboard to source 52% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.